David Gathers Followers and Seeks Priestly Aid
1 Samuel 22:1-5
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1 S.22.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וילך: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- דוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- משם: PREP
- וימלט: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- מערת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- עדלם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וישמעו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אביו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- וירדו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- שמה: ADV
Parallels
- Psalm 142 (allusion): Psalm heading: explicitly ties a Davidic lament to ‘when he was in the cave,’ alluding to David’s refuge in a cave (traditionally Adullam) and his cry for help while hiding from Saul.
- Psalm 57 (allusion): Heading identifies the psalm as composed ‘when he fled from Saul, in the cave,’ linking David’s refuge in a cave and the emotional/spiritual response recorded in 1 Samuel.
- 1 Samuel 23:14 (thematic): Describes David living in strongholds and in the wilderness while fleeing Saul—same broader motif of David taking refuge and being supported by kin and followers.
- 1 Samuel 24:3 (verbal): Narrates David’s presence in a cave (En-gedi) while Saul pursued him; a closely related situational parallel showing David’s use of caves as hideouts from Saul.
- 1 Kings 19:9 (thematic): Elijah’s lodging in a cave at Horeb provides a thematic parallel of a persecuted figure finding refuge in a cave where solitude and divine encounter/refuge occur.
Alternative generated candidates
- And David went from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and his brothers and all his father's house heard of it and came down to him there.
- And David went from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and his brothers and all his father's house heard of it, and they went down there to him.
1 S.22.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויתקבצו: VERB,hitp,impf,3,m,pl
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- כל: DET
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מצוק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- נשא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נפש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- עליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- לשר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg
- ויהיו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- עמו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- כארבע: NUM,card
- מאות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 1 Samuel 22:1 (structural): Immediate narrative context: verse 1 describes David at the cave of Adullam where his family and others gathered to him—verse 2 continues the same episode, naming the distressed/debtors who joined him.
- 1 Chronicles 12:1 (verbal): Parallel account of men coming to David while he was a fugitive (at Ziklag/Hebron in Chronicles); both passages describe people rallying to David in his time of exile.
- Judges 6:34–35 (thematic): Gideon’s gathering of a band of men after the Spirit of the LORD came on him—similar motif of an unlikely leader attracting a group of marginalized or fearful men to form a fighting band.
- Matthew 9:10–13 (thematic): Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners who flock to him; thematically parallels the idea of marginalized, distressed, or socially outcast people gathering around a charismatic leader.
- 2 Samuel 23:8–39 (structural): Lists of David’s 'mighty men' who form his core fighting force; these later lists present the developed military group that begins in 1 Samuel 22 with the roughly four hundred who joined David.
Alternative generated candidates
- And all those in distress, and all those in debt, and all who were bitter in soul gathered to him; and he became their commander, and about four hundred men were with him.
- And every man who was in distress, and every man who was in debt, and every man who was bitter in soul gathered to him; and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.
1 S.22.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וילך: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- דוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- משם: PREP
- מצפה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מואב: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- מואב: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- יצא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- נא: PART
- אבי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ואמי: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs,1cs
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- עד: PREP
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אדע: VERB,qal,imperfect,1,_,sg
- מה: PRON,int
- יעשה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Exod.2.15-22 (thematic): Like David, Moses flees persecution and takes refuge in a neighboring land (Midian); both narratives present a threatened leader seeking safety abroad.
- 1Sam.27.1-7 (thematic): David later chooses asylum with a foreign king (Achish of Gath) to escape Saul—shows a recurring strategy of placing himself and/or family under the protection of a neighboring ruler.
- Matt.2.13-15 (thematic): Joseph, Mary and the child flee to Egypt to escape Herod’s violence; thematically parallels moving one’s family into a foreign land to protect them from a hostile monarch.
- Ruth.1.1-2; 1.6-7 (thematic): Naomi’s household sojourns in Moab during a crisis; these passages treat Moab as a place of temporary refuge for Israelites, paralleling David’s decision to leave his parents there for safety.
Alternative generated candidates
- And David went from there to Mizpah of Moab. He said to the king of Moab, "Let my father and my mother be with you until I know what God will do for me."
- And David went from there to Mizpah of Moab, and said to the king of Moab, "Please let my father and my mother be with you, until I know what God will do for me."
1 S.22.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וינחם: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- פני: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- מואב: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- וישבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- עמו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- כל: DET
- ימי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- היות: VERB,qal,inf
- דוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- במצודה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- 1 Sam.27:6 (thematic): A foreign king (Achish of Gath) grants David a town (Ziklag) and shelter—parallels David’s seeking protection and lodging under a foreign ruler (the king of Moab).
- 1 Sam.21:10-15 (thematic): David flees to a Philistine king (Achish at Gath) while escaping Saul—similar motif of seeking refuge with a foreign sovereign during persecution.
- Ps.142:1-7 (thematic): A psalm explicitly linked to David ‘when he was in the cave’ (a stronghold); thematically parallels David’s time in hiding and dependence on others for safety.
- Ps.57:1 (thematic): A psalm titled for the time David ‘fled from Saul into the cave’; echoes the imagery of refuge/stronghold and David’s plight while on the run.
- Exod.2:15-22 (thematic): Moses flees to Midian and is received/protected by a foreign household (Jethro’s family)—a comparable motif of an Israelite refugee finding shelter with foreign hosts.}]}
Alternative generated candidates
- And he brought them before the king of Moab, and they remained with him while David stayed in the stronghold.
- And he left them before the king of Moab, and they lived with him all the days that David was in the stronghold.
1 S.22.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- גד: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- הנביא: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אל: NEG
- דוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- תשב: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- במצודה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- ובאת: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- וילך: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- דוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויבא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- יער: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חרת: NOUN,prop,f,sg
Parallels
- 1 Samuel 22:1-2 (structural): Immediate context: David has fled Saul and gathered family and followers at the cave of Adullam and a stronghold, setting the scene for the prophet Gad's instruction to relocate.
- 1 Samuel 23:14 (thematic): Continues the theme of David living in wilderness strongholds while Saul pursues him—parallels the pattern of refuge and flight that prompts prophetic guidance.
- 2 Samuel 2:1 (thematic): David consults the LORD about going to a city of Judah and is told to go—echoes Gad's instruction to leave the stronghold and enter the land of Judah.
- 2 Samuel 5:4-5 (structural): Describes the outcome of David's move to Judah: he reigns in Hebron seven and a half years—shows the eventual fulfillment of relocating to Judah.
- 2 Samuel 24:11-19 (allusion): Gad reappears as David's prophetic adviser in a later episode, underscoring Gad's role as a counselor who delivers divine instructions to David (paralleling 1 Sam 22:5).
Alternative generated candidates
- And Gad the prophet said to David, "Do not remain in the stronghold; go, and enter the land of Judah." So David went and came to the forest of Hereth.
- Then Gad the prophet said to David, "Do not remain in the stronghold; go, and get yourself into the land of Judah." So David went and came to the forest of Hereth.
And David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And his brothers and all his father's household heard it, and they went down to him there. And all who were in distress, and all who were in debt, and all who were bitter in soul gathered to him; and he became their leader, and there were with him about four hundred men. And David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother come out and be with you, until I learn what God will do for me.” And he brought them before the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the days that David was at the stronghold. And Gad the prophet said to David, “Do not remain in the stronghold; go, and enter the land of Judah.” So David went and came to the forest of Hereth.